Amalgamating-machine.



Patented Many 20, |902.

No. 700,379.- f-

l G. C". SCOTT.

AAMALGAMATIIH MACHINE. v

(Application led June 29, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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` l lNvr-ENTORA i gerard ATTORNEY,

- UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE.

CEEARD o. sCOTT, or COLUMBUS, OHIO.

` AMALGAMATING-MACHINE.

, srnorrroarronff'oming part of Letters retent- No. `7'00,579,diarrea May 2o, 1902.

' r Application nea June 29, leon seria No. 66,462. (No man.)

To `LZ2 whom) itmay concern:

bus, in the county of Franklin and'State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usev ful Improvement in Amalgamating-Machinea of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to amalgamating-machines of that class which are adapted for the separation of precious metals from ore; and

the objects of my invention-are to provide an a improved machine of this class wherein amalgamating material is carried through and; subjected to the action of a body'of mercuryL and wherein the ore-pulp is submitted to thew action of themercurially-treated amalgamatv ing material, to providev improved means fori elevating and discharging the tailings,l to provide improved meansfor feeding mercury into and withdrawing the same from the cas-lv ing, toprovide improvedmechanism forfcol` Ilecting and removing the concentrates after; lthefreegold has been extracted bythe anuall gamation process, and' to produce oth'erim-l lprovements the details of construction off which will be more fully pointed out herein-J after. These objects I accomplish in the man-'s ner illustrated in the accompanying draw,

ings, in which- Figure 1 is a central longitudinall section of my improved machine, showing theamal. gamating-drum and its projectionsin eleva' Fig. 2 is a sectional view on` linea tion. of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the outer elevating mechanism.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention I employ a suitably-formed casing 1, the latter being.

formed at one end with an elongation or discharge extension 2, which is preferablyinclined upwardly and provided with anoutliet- At its inner or opposite end the opening 3. casing 1-is provided with a vertical inlet 4. The outlet extension 3 has its under side provided in its outer portion with a downwardlyextending pocket or offset 5. Within the body of the cylinder 1 are rotatably mounted andrhaving on-its periphery amalgamating Y 4 I projections 8, the latter being of vany desired Beit known that I, GERARD C. SCOTT, a citizen of the United States,vresiding at Colum'- pocket or channel 10, while near one end of said Casin g leads downward a valve-controlled outlet-tube 11. Beneath and about that p0rition of the casing 1 within which is contained rthe body of Lmercury 9 is provided a jacket 12, which serves to form a mercury-heating Y chamber 13,the latter having an inlet 14 and xoutlet 15 atopposite ends. Leading into the body of mercury through the end wall of the cylinder or casing 1 is a pipe 16, which may ternin'ate in "a valve-controlled outlet-nozzle 17.' yLeading downward from the pipe 16 is fa branch'pipey 18, which connects with a lower horizontal pipe 19, the latterhavingits outer 'terminationbeneath the rear portion of the casing extension 2, where it preferably terjminates' in a funnel-like head or mouth 20. `Ata suitable point in the pipe 19 I provide a controlling-valve 21. Connected with the inner, end of thepipe'19is one end of a lleXible ltube 22,"which at its outer end connects with a suitably-shaped mercury vessel 23, which maybe adjustably supported from any desired point by a supporting-cord 24 or otherwise.

Within the inner and upwardly-inclined portion of the casing extension 2 and near the lower side thereof I provide an upwardly- Vinclined elevating device which comprises endless chains 25, the links of which are connected by transverse ainalgamating slats or` plates 26, said chains running over upper and lowersprocket-wheels y27 and 28carried on transverse shafts 27 a and'281. Upon the slats 25 are mounted atv' suitable points one or more transverse mercnry.- cups'29, and the sprocket-wheels 28 are so located as to ycause the cu ps 29 to run through the body of mercury 9 when a traveling motion is imparted to the elevating mechanism. Motion maybe transmitted to the shaft 27 through the medium of a suitable endless rope or belt 30, which mayrun abouta belt-wheel 31 on said ICO' shaft. As indicated in the drawings, the upper end of the elevating device last described terminates at such point as to cause the contents of the cups 29 to be discharged into the pocket or oiset 5in the passage ofsaid cups about the upper sprocket-wheels. iVithin this offset 5 and parallel and adjacent to the lower inclined side thereof I provide a second or outer elevating mechanism which is constructed as follows: Journaled in and between two parallel bars 32 are upper and lower or outer and inner transverse shafts 33 and 34, these shafts carrying upper and lower sprocket-wheels 35 and 36, which are connected by endless chains 37, the links of the latter being connected by transverse amalgamating strips or slats 33. The side bars 32, in which the shafts 33 and 34 are journaled, are provided, as indicated more clearly in Fig. 1, with longitudinally-slotted openings 39, the latter receiving and forming guideways for inwardly-projecting pins or rods 40, which are fixed on the inner sides of the outer portion of the extension 2. The upper or outer shaft 33 also carries a suitable belt-wheel 41, about which may run a conlparatively loose belt or endless rope 42, the latter leading outward to a suitable source of power. One of the side bars 32 is provided with an outward extension, which passes through an opening in the outer end of the casing extension 2, this outward extension of said bar 32 having pivotally connected therewith one end of a driving-rod 43, the outer end of which is eccentrically connected with a suitably-journaled wheel 44, which is driven by a belt 45 from a suitable source of power.

In the inner end and bottom portion of the oit'set 5 of the casing extension 2 and below the inner and lower end of the last-described elevating device I provide a downwardly-extending outlet-pipe 40, the latter having a controlling-valve 47 and having, leading laterally from a point above said valve, an outwardly and thence upwardly and downwardly bent pipe-arm 48, which is also provided with a valve 49. This pipe-arm 4S terminates in such position as to discharge the contents thereofinto the iiaring mouth or funnel 2O of the pipe 19. Upon one of the end spindles G of the drum 7 is carried a suitable belt-wheel 50, about which may pass an operating-belt, the latter running outward through the inlet 4 to a suitable source of power, as indicated by the dotted lines at 51.

In operation the ore-pulp is forced into the casing through the inlet 4 under pressure, and inits passage through said casing and about the drum is subjected to the amalgamating action of-the mercurially-treated d rum and its projections 8, resulting from the rotation of said drum within the casing and of the passage ot' said projections through the mercury. Leaving the drum, the tailings pass outward through the outlet extension 2 and through the opening 3, said tailings being assisted in their outward movement by contact with the moving apron formed by the slats or amalgamating-plates 2G, where said tailings are again subjected to the amalgamating action of said slats or plates. It is obvious that in the traveling movement of said slats certain proportions of the mercury will' be taken up by the cups 29 and discharged into the extension-offset 5. The heavier portions of the tailings, which pass over the inner elevating device, will fall downward and onto the slats 37 of the outer elevating device, through the traveling motion of which they will be again carried upward toward the dischargeoutlet. It will be understood, however, that the concentrates or heavier particles of gold or other precious metal which have not been extracted or de tached from the ore through the amalgamating process above described will drop downward from the outer elevator and be discharged through the outlet 4G, where they may be collected in any suitable receptacle. This operation of collecting and discharging the concentrates from the outer elevator is facilitated through the fact that when motion is contributed to the wheel 44 it is obvious that a backward-andforward shaking or re-` ciprocating motion will be imparted to said outer elevator, the side bars 32, which form the elevator-frame, being permitted to slide on the pins or rods 40. Byclosing the valve 47 and openingthe valves 49 and 21 it will bc seen that the mercury which has been carried into the offset 5, above described, may be discharged into the pipe 19 and allowed to iiow through said pipe and the flexible tube 22 into the mercury vessel or reservoir 23 when the latter has been dropped to aposition below the line of the pipe 19. The mercury thus discharged into the reservoir or vesse may be cleansed chemically or otherwise and again returned to the body of the cylinder l by closing the valve 21 and elevating the reservoir 23 until the latter is above the level of the pipe 16 and the body of mei cury contained in the casing.

From the construction and operation described it will be seen that improved means are not only provided for the amalgamation of the ore, but that improved means are combined therewith for extracting, collecting, and discharging the concentrates remaining in the tailings prior to the discharge of the latter from the machine.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an amalgamating-macliine, the combination with a casing having an inlet-opening and outlet extension, said casing being adapted to contain a body of mercury and a rotating amalgamating-body within said casing adapted to run through said mercury, of an elevating device contained in said outlet extension, said elevating device comprising outer and inner wheels and a traveling apron connecting said wheels and means whereby IOO a shaking or vibratory movement is imparted to said elevator, and a movable amalgamatiug device `interposed between said rotating body and elevating device, substantially as specified.

2. In an amalgamating-machine, the com-v bination With a casing having an inlet-opening and outlet extension and adapted to contain a body of mercury, of a rotating amalga- :o mating-body within said casing to run in said mercury, an elevating device located in ysaid outlet extension,means for operating said ele-v vating device,and lan interposed .traveling amalgamating-surface` havingI` transverse mercury-cups, as and for the purpose speci- '15l j ied. A

GERARD C. SCOTT.

In presence of C. C. SHEPHERD, A. L. PHELPS, 

